Love Is A Strong Word
by ProLazy
Summary: Prompt: In order to convince Castiel to eject Lucifer out Dean must utter three words that he's never had the strength to say before.
Lucifer had both Sam and Dean pinned up against walls of the bunker.

Dean was still in shock. How could he be so stupid as to not realise it wasn't Cas?

"Let Castiel go!" Sam demanded.

"You are not needed anymore" Lucifer stated.

He raised his hand and Sam went flying across to the other side of the room. There was a sickening thud as the younger Winchester's head hit the wall hard.

Sam cried out in pain before slumping to the ground. He was out cold.

"Sammy!" Dean yelled as he struggled against Lucifer's invisible binds.

Lucifer was grinning at him, thriving on the pain and chaos he was creating.

"You bastard" Dean seethed through gritted teeth. He'd had enough. He'd had enough of the son of a butch hurting the people he loved. No more. This needed to end now.

Lucifer laughed manically.

"Ya know, sometimes I just forget how weak and fragile you little hairless apes are."

He clenched his fingers together and Dean felt the force that was holding him captive begin to squeeze. The hunter felt like he was suffocating.

"Cas..." He wheezed. "Cas, you can fight him."

"I'm sorry, Castiel can't come to the phone right now" Lucifer taunted. "He's busy having a breakdown. Can I take a message?"

Dean felt like all the bones in his body were going to break under the pressure. He was grinding his teeth together and his eyes were tightly shut.

"Cas!" He yelled with his last ounce of strength.

There was suddenly a dull ringing noise.

"No!" Lucifer exclaimed, his grip on Dean weakening a little. "I'm the captain of this vessel now!"

The archangel bowed his head.

When he looked up his expression had changed dramatically. His eyes were wide and fearful, and he seemed somewhat pained.

The force against Dean suddenly released him and the hunter fell to the ground breathing heavily.

He looked up and dared himself to believe it was true.

"Cas?"

"I can't hold him back for much longer" the Angel said, his voice strained from the effort.

"Cas, eject him!" Dean yelled as he got to his feet.

"Dean, he can stop The Darkness-"

"I don't care!" Dean shouted despite himself. "I won't lose you again!" He had been hoping to remain strong, but the crack in his voice could not be missed.

"This is the only way" Castiel tried to reason with him. He looked Dean squarely in the eyes, full of pleading. "I-I don't mater, Dean. I'm ex-expendable."

"Not to me you're not" Dean said quietly. "We can do this together, Cas. Sam and I would be lost without you."

"D-Dean" Castiel said weakly. It was all the energy he had to say.

He reached out a trembling arm, spreading his fingers out. Dean took a few steps forward, reaching out with his own hand.

They were about to touch when Castiel let out a cry of pain. His eyes flashed white for a brief second. His mouth curled into a cruel smirk and his glare deepened.

Lucifer was back.

"Cockblock" the Angel jibed.

He grabbed hold of Dean's wrist and flung him around so that the hunter landed with his back on the table. Lucifer grabbed the collar of Dean's shirt.

"You know, despite all the magical ways I could use my powers to kill you, I think after all this time it would be much more satisfying if I did it with my own two hands...well, Cas', but that's just even more fun."

Lucifer wrapped his fingers around Dean's throat.

Dean gripped onto the angel's wrists as he tried to pry his hands away. He struggled, but eventually managed to land a kick in Lucifer's stomach.

The Angel recoiled with a huff.

"Ya know..." Lucifer said as he straightened up. "That hurt Cas a lot more than it hurt me."

Dean stood upright and his eyes widened; he hadn't even thought about that.

"Although this wouldn't be the first time you've beat the crap out of my little brother. In this very room, in fact. So if you're gunna hit me, hit me."

He spread his arms out as if in offering. Dean didn't move.

"C'mon!" Lucifer yelled. "Where's that bite gone, puppy? "C'mon, come to daddy" he said, squatting down slightly and patting his knees.

Dean's fists clenched at his sides, but he remained still.

"Pathetic" Lucifer spat. "Here's how things are going to go down. I'm going to kill you now, and then I'm going to torture your brother for a while - he owes me a date - then I'll kill him too, and then I'll send Castiel to hell, and I will roam the earth in this pretty little meat suit destroying what my father has created."

He started to edge slowly towards Dean.

"Everyone you love will die, and Castiel...well he's going to spend eternity as my slave. Oh, the things I'll do to him. I'm sure you remember your time in hell? Imagine that times a thousand. And he deserves every second of it. That spineless, useless, unwanted-"

Dean couldn't control himself any longer. He swung his fist at Lucifer and hit him in the jaw. The Angel didn't even stumble, simply retaliating with a punch of his own to Dean's side.

A fight broke out. Dean tried to land a hit wherever he could. He knew that his efforts barely weakened Lucifer at all whilst he himself started to bruise and bleed, but he was filled with an anger that would not ease until Lucifer was gone.

His fist was once again traveling towards Lucifer's jaw when his eyes sudden flashed again.

 _Castiel_.

"De-"

The hunter landed the punch before he could register the change. Castiel stumbled back.

"Cas! I'm so sorry. I-"

He went to put his hand on the angel's shoulder, but Lucifer regained control and used the opportunity to bring his knee into Dean's stomach.

The hunter cried out and crumpled to the floor.

Lucifer grabbed his shirt and hauled Dean up so that he was on his knees.

"That wasn't the first time I let Cas take the blow either" the archangel revealed. "So much for caring about him."

"I...I didn't know" Dean mumbled. He felt like he was going to pass out. "Cas, I...I'm sorry. Not just for this...for everything."

"Tell me, Dean, what exactly is _everything_?" Lucifer asked.

"For losing faith in you when I learned that you were working with Crowley. For leaving you in that hospital when you took on Sam's pain. For saying I didn't care you were broken. For not talking to you when you told me you were suicidal. For kicking you out the bunker and not telling you about Gadreel. For beating you up when you didn't even fight back. For not realising Lucifer was with you...and I know that's not all of it."

Dean felt the tears trailing down his cheeks.

"Aww, if I had a heart, you'd be breaking it" Lucifer mocked, placing a hand over his chest.

"Cas, please I need you" Dean continued, ignoring Lucifer's taunts. "And not for your powers. I need you because you're family."

They had been in this situation twice before. Dean on his knees with Castiel standing over him, under the control of another force that could kill him at any minute. Both of those times Dean had managed to get through to Castiel but this time he needed to say more. Castiel needed to know that he wasn't expendable.

Dean needed to say the thing he should have said the first time.

"I need you..." He said, gripping onto Cas' wrist. "...because I love you."

Lucifer threw his head back and laughed.

"You really think after all-"

A high-pitched ringing suddenly started to fill the air.

"No" Lucifer breathed, for the first time looking fearful.

He released Dean and the hunter had to cover his ears. He looked over and saw that the racket had woken Sam and he was also shielding his ears with a painful expression on his face.

"No!" Lucifer yelled.

The whole vessel was suddenly consumed by a bright light. Dean closed his eyes and looked away.

The light soon faded and the noise stopped. Dean opened his eyes and dropped his hands as he slowly turned around.

Castiel stood swaying on the spot.

"Dean" he breathed.

He started to fall, but Dean leapt over and caught him.

The hunter lowered them both to the ground and held Castiel so tightly against his chest he was sure he'd never let go.

"You did it, Cas" Dean said, tears still freely streaming down his cheeks. "You did it. I knew you could."

"Dean" Castiel sobbed. It was the only thing he could say.

Sam had come to stand beside his brother.

"Where did Lucifer go?"

"I don't know, and right now I don't care" Dean said as he rocked Castiel slightly. "All that matters now is taking care of Cas and making sure he knows how sorry we are."

"Dean..." Castiel said as he looked up at the hunter. Dean cupped his cheeks in his hands. "Did you mean what you said?"

"Yes" Dean replied. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Dean couldn't wait another moment to press Castiel's lips against his.


End file.
